Iga Swiatek leads Poland into United Cup finals with win over Elena Rybakina

Iga Swiatek continued her pitch-perfect start to the 2025 season, leading Poland into the 2025 United Cup finals by clinching a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Elena Rybakina.

Following Hubert Hurkacz’s breezy 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Shevchenko, Swiatek clinched a 2-0 victory for Poland in two hours and three minutes; they now await the winner of the second semifinal between the United States and the Czech Republic.

“I think that’s the first time I was able to win with Elena on a faster surface, so it means a lot,” Swiatek exclaimed on court after the match. “I for sure didn’t start well, I felt like I had the hand break on. But I knew I needed to do something because this match is going to go to waste. I wanted really to work and change the momentum, and I’m happy I kind of did that in the last possible chance in the first set. I kind of told myself that I’m not going to miss anymore.

“It’s always tough against Elena and it means a lot to me to be able to play today, especially after such an intense day. It’s not easy to recover when you’re finishing and going back to the hotel at 1AM, going to sleep at 5AM. This win makes me really proud.”

Both Swiatek and Rybakina were undefeated through their first three United Cup appearances, Swiatek dropping just one set in the quarterfinals against an in-form Katie Boulter. Still, Rybakina came into Saturday’s encounter with a 4-2 head-to-head edge over Swiatek, having won their most recent match at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

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Though Rybakina looked poised to take the 2025 season by storm alongside new coach Goran Ivanisevic, the Russian-born Kazakh has endured a difficult 24 hours following confirmation by the Hologic WTA tour that ex-coach Stefano Vukov is serving a provisional suspension and is being investigated for a potential Code of Conduct breach.

Rybakina, who worked with Vukov from 2019 until the 2024 US Open, had been looking to restore Vukov to her coaching team, but will be unable to obtain a credential for the embattled coach for the upcoming Australian Open due to the provisional suspension.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion nonetheless arrived on Ken Rosewall Arena with Ivanisevic and made a strong start against Swiatek, who appeared frustrated by the quick court conditions. Trailing Rybakina 5-3 in the opening set, the former world No. 1 leveled the match at five games apiece and shook off two missed set points in the following game to ultimately secure the initiative through a tiebreaker.

With Rybakina’s level having dipped below her first-set peak, Swiatek scored a crucial break in the seventh game of the second set en route to a 5-3 lead of her own. Serving under pressure after a love hold from Rybakina, she saved a break point with a thrilling rally and outrallied her again up match point, playing flawless defense to edge over the finish line.